Issues

The United States has a debt problem—and it threatens not only our long-term fiscal health, but also our future as a competitive and growing nation. Put simply, the federal government has been spending at a faster rate than revenues come in, resulting in large budget deficits and unsustainable levels of debt.The Chamber is calling for government reforms that will address the looming crisis of unsustainable entitlement programs, keep deficit spending low for the long-term, and rein in our growing debt.

A strong education system is crucial to preparing people for good jobs and bright futures and sustaining a 21st century workforce that can compete in the global economy.
The Chamber is focused on fixing shortcomings in our education system so that students emerge from our public education system prepared for college or a career; higher education is more accessible and affordable; employers can find workers with the right skills and qualifications; and our workforce will attract investment, drive growth, and spur innovation.

America is in the midst of a true energy revolution. After decades of fear over potential energy scarcity, we are now in an era of energy abundance, driven by technological innovation and American know-how.But will we have the wisdom to capitalize on this opportunity? If we develop smart policies, we can use affordable and abundant energy to launch a manufacturing revival, improve our trade deficit, effectively increase household spending power, and revitalize America’s economy.

The U.S. Chamber works to streamline the acquisition process, ensure a fair and open procurement system, and encourage the government to rely more on the private sector for the goods and services it needs.

Businesses of all sizes need well-functioning and multi-faceted capital markets. Excessive and unnecessary banking and securities regulations constrain access to capital for businesses, making it harder for them to form and grow. The Chamber believes a free and efficient capital market system is essential to economic growth and innovation.In addition, public companies are facing increasing outside pressure to focus on short term gains and special interests over long term wellbeing and investment. The Chamber is focused on rebalancing the system to reinvigorate the public company model.

There are some freedoms that define the American dream and bring vitality to a productive, innovative, and prosperous free enterprise system. Those freedoms include the right to speak, the right to due process, and the right to take a risk and be rewarded, not vilified, for your success.
These rights are the building blocks of our free society and our free enterprise system. And when they come under attack, the Chamber responds.

In many ways, U.S. health care is the envy of the world—it has helped many individuals live longer than ever and enjoy a better quality of life than previously possible. However, we continue to face the challenge of making quality health care more affordable, more accessible, and more reliable for all Americans. The Chamber is focused on promoting effective private sector solutions to our health care challenges that will help control costs, expand access, and improve the quality of care.

Commonsense immigration reform would boost economic growth, create jobs, and spur innovation and entrepreneurship. And it would renew America's legacy of being an open and welcoming country where anyone who works hard can achieve his or her dreams.

Most Americans agree that our roads, bridges, mass transit systems, air and sea ports, and water infrastructure are critical national assets that drive growth, jobs, safety, and global competitiveness.What we can’t seem to agree on is how to pay for badly needed maintenance and repairs. It’s time to stop thinking about infrastructure as a problem, but as an opportunity for bipartisan agreement to invest wisely and carefully in our most critical needs, while eliminating wasteful spending.

Our economy is driven by the need to innovate, create, and develop new ways to serve consumers, and industries that rely on intellectual property (IP) play an essential role.When inventors, researchers, engineers, artists, and entrepreneurs know that their work will be protected and rewarded through strong IP rights—including patents, trademarks, and copyrights—they have the certainty and the incentive to keep the economy-boosting innovations coming. Moreover, IP protections guard consumers against dangerous fakes and counterfeit goods.

Selling more of our goods and services around the world is crucial to creating American jobs, helping small businesses, and keeping the United States ahead of its global competitors.The Chamber wants to negotiate trade and investment agreements that are fair and accountable, that create a level playing field, and that put American families and workers first.Trade policy can and must benefit all consumers and businesses, including small businesses, which represent 98% of all U.S. exporters.

The United States economy is supported by a highly innovative, creative, productive, and industrious workforce. The jobs that make up the U.S. economy—and the businesses that create those jobs—help workers provide for their families and lead healthy, comfortable, and fulfilling lives.To keep the economy vibrant and to continue to create opportunity for workers, we must ensure that new businesses can be launched and current ones can be expanded. The U.S. Chamber promotes workplace policies that will enhance, not inhibit, economic growth and job creation.

A growing economy brings much-needed jobs and wage growth, but it also provides opportunity for entrepreneurial trial lawyers to exploit flaws in America’s lawsuit system for their own gain. The U.S. Chamber and its Institute for Legal Reform believe that the key to correcting those flaws and paving the way to a freer, fairer economy lies in repairing our broken class action lawsuit system, eliminating the fraud that permeates asbestos litigation, and curbing the rising trend of over-enforcement—particularly from certain state attorneys general, who are too often engaging in inconsistent, duplicative, and politically motivated enforcement actions.

Economic security and national security go hand-in-hand. We must have one in order to protect the other.
The Chamber advocates for protecting vital U.S. assets—both physical and digital—to ensure the safety and security of our citizens and promote the free flow of commerce and information that drives our economy and enriches our society.

The Chamber recognizes the need for smart regulations to ensure workplace safety and protect public health. But with a $2 trillion price tag in compliance costs and an increasing number of huge and complex rules, it’s clear the regulatory system isn’t working the way it should.
Americans deserve a working regulatory system that is fair for everyone, takes into account the views of communities and businesses, evaluates the impact rules will have on jobs and small businesses, and protects our economic and personal freedoms.

American businesses of every size maintain a long-held commitment to providing voluntary benefits that support the welfare of their workers. As Americans live longer, healthier, and more active lives, retirement security becomes a greater concern—particularly with the uncertainty surrounding government programs like Social Security.
The private employer-provided retirement system has contributed significantly to the retirement needs of millions of seniors. The Chamber and its members are committed to continuing the success of the system and ensuring the long-term retirement security of Americans.

The Chamber continues to fight for a streamlined tax system allowing taxpayers to make smarter decisions about how they work, save, and invest, and unleashing the power of American businesses—large and small—to create jobs.

Technology-based industries and businesses create tremendous growth and opportunity in the U.S. economy and are essential to competing in an interconnected world. Outdated laws and regulations impede U.S. technological innovation and deployment.The U.S. Chamber and the Chamber Technology Engagement Center (C_TEC) promote market-based solutions, policies that foster investment in technology research and deployment, and balanced regulatory treatment of technical platforms.

America has always been a nation on the move. But an aging and crumbling transportation system is not only slowing Americans down, it’s reducing productivity, undermining our ability to move products across the country and around the world, and increasing congestion and air pollution.
Our transportation system is a tremendous national asset we’ve built up over generations. It has fueled economic growth, enhanced our competitiveness, and created a lot of good jobs. If well-maintained, it can continue to deliver outstanding benefits to all Americans.

America is leaving travel-related jobs and revenues on the table because we’re not laying out the welcome mat for business travelers and tourists. We need to ensure that when tourists are ready to travel and business people are ready to make deals, they come to the greatest travel destination of them all—the United States of America.

From shipping to staffing, the Chamber and its partners have the tools to save your business money and the solutions to help you run it more efficiently. Join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce today to start saving.

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